Biofuels Making Progress
We're getting a new gas station in town. One of its four tanks will be for ethanol. While that may not sound like news, to the best of my knowledge, it will be the first gas station in CT (other than the state-owned stations for state vehicles) that will carry ethanol. I don't say this because I've traveled the whole state searching for ethanol, but rather I read on the Consumer Reports website that they couldn't find any ethanol in the state when they tested E85 vehicles.
Speaking of which, there are pros and cons to running your car on ethanol. It's cleaner than running on straight gasoline and it's made right here in the USA. The drawback is that cars running on E85 are less fuel efficient and the stuff costs the same as, if not more than, regular gasoline. There's also the problem with availability, though if the demand is there, this is a relatively easy problem to fix.
Amazingly enough, even local companies are getting in on the act. When one thinks of Fairfield County, hedge funds and snooty waspy types come to mind, not biofuel companies. Devine Bioheat and Santa Energy are blending "biodiesel" in with fuel oil for homeowners. Although it costs more, eco-friendly affluent homeowners seem to be willing to pony up the extra 25 cents/gallon for the stuff.
I'd be tempted to go that route too but I've got electric heat so it's not an option.
Now if only Xethanol (garbage to ethanol) could rebound from its slump. The stock has lost 75% of its value over the last 5+ months. But even the garbage-to-oil folks have had their share of non-technical problems.
\_/
DED
Speaking of which, there are pros and cons to running your car on ethanol. It's cleaner than running on straight gasoline and it's made right here in the USA. The drawback is that cars running on E85 are less fuel efficient and the stuff costs the same as, if not more than, regular gasoline. There's also the problem with availability, though if the demand is there, this is a relatively easy problem to fix.
Amazingly enough, even local companies are getting in on the act. When one thinks of Fairfield County, hedge funds and snooty waspy types come to mind, not biofuel companies. Devine Bioheat and Santa Energy are blending "biodiesel" in with fuel oil for homeowners. Although it costs more, eco-friendly affluent homeowners seem to be willing to pony up the extra 25 cents/gallon for the stuff.
I'd be tempted to go that route too but I've got electric heat so it's not an option.
Now if only Xethanol (garbage to ethanol) could rebound from its slump. The stock has lost 75% of its value over the last 5+ months. But even the garbage-to-oil folks have had their share of non-technical problems.
\_/
DED
Labels: energy
posted by DED at 4:12 PM
3 Comments:
How many cars actually run on ethanol?
Patience, timing is everything. I got news that they are starting work on a switchgrass to biofuels program here. They said development would take 20 - 25 years. My reaction was I'm not sure we have that long. Alas, better late than never, I guess. Garbage is the future, or the future is garbage, they can take their pick I say.
Mike: I don't know how many cars actually run on E85. GM has been boasting in their commercials that they've already been doing it. It's possible that the cars that people are driving now can handle E85 and they just don't know it. I haven't bothered to check if our cars can run on the stuff because, as I said in the post, it's just not available here.
Mort: 20-25 years is too long, especially since E85, trash-to-E85, and trash-to-oil are here now. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do it. Fuel cell cars might actually be available before then. And you'd think that the technology would be advanced enough that it could be done sooner. Otherwise, why the hooplah in the SOTU address?
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